23 August, 2011

sweet as the apple of Peru, the inklings of the Eastern Sioux

Caught on Hulu while watching an episode of the Daily Show, but since this is a global campaign (save for the UK, at least right now), I felt it would be appropriate to mention here: Levi's latest commercial, which uses a powerful poem from Charles Bukowski, The Laughing Heart:

Your life is your life.
Know it while you have it.
You are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.


It's a powerful video, and when we think in the broader sense of how universal denim is--from the fifteenth century, when it was uniformly known as 'sailor cloth', to now, where we have an infinite variety of dyes, shapes, fades, aging styles, and brands--I think the ad, paired with the commercial, speaks to a universal audience, about a universal message. Life. Live it to the fullest. Live it while you have it. Embrace it.

And thrive.

Speaking of powerful ads, let me bring your attention to a commercial from Taiwan that is as heartbreaking as it is strong. While the commercial only deals with five men (the original story featured ten, a mix of women and men), some of the most powerful images are from the original tale, including one of the most powerful for me,the man who carried the mourning portrait of his deceased wife on the cross-country tour.

So, Second Life news. This one's big. Mesh has gone live, along with a raise to the allowed prim size to 65 meters, from 10 meters. So what does this mean for those of us not on official viewer 3.0?

Yeah, that's the down side. We have to wait for mesh to be enabled in our viewers, if it ever is. So let's do the rundown:

Phoenix: Not updated.
Kirsten's Viewer: Updated but only for uploads on the mesh beta grid (but according to users who downloaded today, Kirsten's can see mesh).
Singularity: Not updated.
CoolVL: Not updated.
Firestorm: Not updated.
Imprudence: Not updated.
Emergence: Not updated.
Restrained Love: Not updated.
Rainbow: Not updated.
Ascent: Not updated.
Dolphin: Not updated.
Libretto: Not updated (but seriously, it's a text-only viewer; why would it be?).
METABolt: Not updated (but again, a text-only client).
Mobile Grid: Not updated (messenger app only).
OMV: Not updated (Linux viewer only, but it hasn't updated in a while nevertheless).
Pocket Metaverse: Not updated (but only an iPhone/Android app anyway).
Radegast: Not updated (low-graphic viewer anyway).
Sparkle: Not updated (iPhone client).

If you know of any other viewers, do let me know in the comments. But as of today, well...no one's rushed out an update. Keep a watch on your viewer's page, maybe you'll get lucky. In the meantime, I'll update when I get new information.

On the plus side, while no one's released mesh-enabled updates, several third-party viewers can make larger prims now, because apparently the code applies. So that's good news.

In the meantime, one artist has decided to combine her love of Elder Gods, Minecraft, and chibi cuteness into LittleCraft. Dread it. The cuteness has no bounds.

And The Secret World MMO will soon launch into beta. Apply now if the concept of an entire gaming space where all the conspiracy theories are true intrigues you. (It intrigues me, I just don't think I have the time.)

Finally, someone's come out with a Faceless Fox avatar. Beyond the name, I don't know anything about it, but I'm definitely intrigued. Tell you when I know more.

12 comments:

Sphynx Soleil said...

Don't forget rainbow (no mesh) and Kirstens apparently can view mesh after all.

Emilly Orr said...

Rainbow's in there; Kirsten's I'll change.

Serenity Semple said...

Blah towards mesh. e.e; Also I really hope Secret Worlds is going to be good. I signed up a long time ago but haven't heard much.

Anonymous said...

You've probably seen this by now, but Mesh is viewable in the latest (experimental) version of Cool VL Viewer. (Uploading mesh is another story.)

Emilly Orr said...

You are right, I should update this. Yes, CoolVL supposedly can see mesh now, but here's the big question, and it's something that didn't so much happen when sculpted prims were introduced: what's the point of wearing or seeing something the rest of the grid can't see?

Actually, this is just like when alpha layers were introduced--at first, if I wasn't on a viewer that 'saw' alphas, I'd still see the parts the av in front of me was trying to conceal.

It's worse with mesh. When I next log into SL, I'll be able to see mesh items; I'll be able to wear mesh items; but because few others will be able to see what I'm wearing, I won't be wearing anything but blobs or sharp-edged prisms to them.

What's the point?

Samantha Poindexter said...

I agree that right now I wouldn't be traipsing around in mesh clothes... but I'm guessing we'll hit critical mass before too terribly long, and that the fashionista contingent will be leading the charge. This too shall pass. :-)

Emilly Orr said...

The fashionistas can lead all they want; but if the photographers can't snap them for posterity?

They won't lead for long. :p

Samantha Poindexter said...

Ah, but if you can't see The Fashionista's New Clothes, that just means you're unworthy. :-)

Emilly Orr said...

Actually, there is a mesh avatarI'm contemplating currently, but is it worth it to buy it now (and use it primarily for photo ops) or wait until mesh really pops?

Samantha Poindexter said...

Personally, I'd be inclined to wait, but then I'm rarely an early adopter... I've picked up a few mesh clothing demos, but that's been it so far.

Meanwhile, Hamlet of all people pointed out this post, which makes a good point about the non-resizeability of mesh, and the implications thereof. (The comments on his post say that people are asking for a technical solution and that the Lindens are aware of this, though I'm not holding my breath.)

Emilly Orr said...

Those are good posts; as you were sending this, I was writing this post of my own, which links to a couple videos of avatars moving in mesh clothing.

I think the limitations--especially with the lack of modding options and the rigging limitations--are big ones. Plus, there's the fact that most of the grid won't see me if I do go out somewhere in a mesh outfit, or avatar.

Right now I'm intrigued by the possibilities, but I'm waiting to see how soon everyone adapts mesh code to viewers. When Firestorm gets mesh enabled, that'll be big--I don't use Firestorm, but a ton of the grid does.

Samantha Poindexter said...

Agreed on all counts!

hide away, they say, 'cos we don't want your broken parts

Yeah, so...remember that thing I was recovering from? You know, last year ? Yeah. I did it again. So this is Em Faw Down Go Boom part ...